Preseli Bluestone

Preseli bluestone is a fine-grained dolerite with white snowflake-like inclusions of feldspar. This material is shrouded in history and mystery! Preseli Bluestone deposits have been found in the Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire, Wales. However, the stones have been found in the building of Stonehenge, 250 miles away.

There is much debate as to how Preseli bluestone was transported this distance in 2300BC in the building of Stonehenge. There are 43 bluestones placed at Stonehenge, each weighing approximately 2 to 4 tons. It is commonly believed that our Neolithic ancestors achieved this feat through human transportation. Tools such as axe heads carved from Preseli Bluestone have been found across the British Isles, which would seem to support this idea. However others believe that a glacier may be responsible for the transportation.

Either way, the Preseli bluestone has come to embody the Stone Age, and the sheer skill and strength of our ancestors in creating Stonehenge. Preseli bluestone has been set in jewellery and also carved into ornamental items.